WATCH: The Care Team Trailer
In October 2020, Walter Wallace Jr. was killed by Philadelphia police while he suffered from a mental health crisis. Community members immediately began organizing to implement Philadelphia’s first non-police mental health crisis response program. In 2021, we helped win an initial $7.2 million for mobile crisis teams, and in 2022, our movement secured $10 million in the city budget for mobile crisis response. In a new short documentary, viewers get a window into the work happening on the ground as a result of this campaign.
THE CARE TEAM follows two mobile crisis workers, Deshante and Ben, as they respond to mental health emergencies across Philadelphia. Between house visits, they discuss the experiences that led them to this work and reflect on the resources needed to take this program to the next level.
Across Philadelphia, 21% of adults have a serious mental health diagnosis. This means that at least 1 in 5 adults in Philadelphia is at risk of experiencing a mental health crisis at any moment. And right now, an average of 200 Philadelphians reach out to the city every day for support with a mental health crisis. While we're grateful these individuals can now receive care from trained mental health professionals instead of the police, we have a long way to go to ensure mobile crisis teams can be fully staffed, offer competitive pay, and reduce wait times. The city of Philadelphia has budgeted $872 million for the police department in FY 2026. They budgeted $10 million for mobile crisis teams.
THE CARE TEAM highlights the depth and quality of care offered by mobile crisis workers, despite this lack of funding. It is a window into the suffering that members of our communities are experiencing every day. And it gives us a sense of possibility for how we might create and expand systems that offer genuine healing that recognizing the dignity and humanity of everyone they encounter.
If you're interested in partnering with us for a screening, drop us a line here. We look forward to screening with communities across Philadelphia in the months to come.